Process of extracting fat from cacao bean or alpha product thereof



Wutcnted May 5, 1931 turnts nocm or en PEIA, ewe srnyenrn, nssroiion reuse nocnrn GOR- retention, or rnrnnnnnrnm, rrriusu'tunnie, n oonronsrronor DELAWARE My invention reletes to a new and useful process oi?sepursting fat from vegetable n ntter, in particulur the process ofextracting cocoe butter or fut from the cacao been or other cacao beenproduct, such us some or the invention relates more particularly to ecombined mechunical process, whereby the cocoa butter, or. cocoa "fatmay be extrected from the cecao beans or a product thereof, with thegreatest facility, with the least einount of time and labor consumed andwith highest possible eficiency or yield of pure cocou butter, andWithout the aid of any solvents or presses, heretofore employed for thepurpose, end- Without the use any harmful or odorous chemical reagents,which might edversely efiect the resultant products.

' "With the above ends invievv, my invention consistsin reducing thecacao bean or product thereof to a suitable state of division, mixthissubdivided product with a suitebl'e ernount of Water and heating thesame to a temperature at which the starchy constituents oi theeuc'aobean will be gelatinized by the notion of the heat and Water, and thesoluble constituents thereof brought into solution, While such mixtureis agitated by slow rotary motion sbout a substentially horizontal exis,to thereby breaking the close association between the tutty constituentsand the starchy constituents, by'the complete wetting of the noniuttyconstituents and thus liberating the former asfree fat. In other words,the slow stirring under. host, by a horizontally disposed stirrer servesto introduce articles of Elli water between the non-soluble sohdparticles invention rther consists, in diluting gelet t ed euueousmixture thus obed, comprig the wetted non-fatty solids liberet/ed tutWet/er, to a suituble en= reiilucingthe temperature thereof, edd- "oblyn dicstetic melt entrust or ditic ennyme) ogiteting the mixture by placethe same into a substantially horizonh reto n suiteble emeunt oimaltextruct Application filcdhunuut 19%. fierflul Etc, tm 'tdt.

tion, I have described a prefer-re method of carrying out my process,which Will give in practice, satisfactory and relieble results, althoughit is to be understood that such pro ferr'ed method issusce tible ofmodification cu in various respects an that my invention is not limitedto the precise method end process as herein set forth end described.

In carrying out my invention, I take a suitable amount of cacao'bean ora product thereof, us for instance, a thousand pounds of the shelled andground cecao bean meat commonly known as commercial chocolate liquor,

tel cylindricul tank or cooker, having a suit- 7 able steam jacket alongthe lower portion thereof, and having mounted Within it a suitablerotory stirrer carried b a substantially horizontal and axial shaft, a dapproximately a hundred gallons of Water to the chocolate liquor, inorder to obtain the proper con- ,sistenc and heat the mixture to atemperature o nbout 200 degrees F. and maintain the same ct thistemperature for a period of about one hour. During this period of aboutone hour, the mass is agitated by a slow rotary motion, about ahorizontal axis, at ap proximately fourteen revolutions per minute vwhereby the mess is thoroughly intermingled end the starchy constituentsoi the cacao are thereby thoroughly gelatinized by the action or theWriter end heat, end the soluble constituents ere brou ht into solution.During this period. else on by this step of the process,

the non 'tetty nonWeter-soluble solid particles 95 ot the; cuceo, "whichnormally form centers to end around which particles of tot collect endudhere to fut globules are seperated by the introduct on of renterbettveensaid fat perticles end seid center, solid, non-soluble particleswhereupon the liberated fat particles will rise to the surface. The heatand the stirring tend to loosen the fat particles from the centernon-soluble solid particles by weakening the force of adhesion thusenabling the water with which themixture is treated to penetrate betweenthe solid particles and the fat particles to separate the former fromthe latter.

I may add to the mass during this hour of heating and agitating, a.slight amount of common salt, or sugar, or both; the former for thepurpose of coagulating the proteins in the mixture, while the latter forthe purpose of increasing the specific gravity of the mixture.

After approximately one hour of slow agitation at a temperature of about200 degrees F. the mixture is'tran'sferred by gravity to the se aratortank where it is diluted with an ad itional 140 to 240 gallons of water,both for the purpose of thinning the mixture and also for the purpose ofreducing the temperature thereof, to approximately 150 degrees F. Theseparator tank, has mounted within it a substantially vertical rotarstirrer, also adapted to revolve at avery s 0w speed, at approximatelyeight revolutions per minute and to effect a stirring action about asubstantially vertical axis. To the diluted and cooled mass or mixturein the separator tank there is then added approximately 25 pounds ofdiastatic malt extract and the mixture is then stirred slowl for aboutthirty minutes.

During this period of thirty minutes the action of the malt is tosaccharify the starch which has heretofore been gelatinized, so as totransform the same to a soluble sugar, and thus further to liberate thestarchy constituents into a free state, unattached to the fattyconstituents. After a thorough saccharification of the gelatinizedstarchy constituents of the mass, a suitable amount of an alkalicarbonate, as for instance three pounds of sodium carbonate is added tothe mixture, preferably in the form of an aqueous solution, and the sameis added preferably at the bottom of the mass through a suitable pipeextending from the up er surface to the bottom, and thereafter t e massis heated again to a temperature of approximately 200 degrees F. andslowly stirred by the rotary motion about a vertical axis, a suflicientlength of time, to se ar'ate the liberated fatty constituents.

he action of the sodium carbonate is to liberate free carbon-dioxidegas, which then rises through the mass in a vertical direction, actingnot onl to break up any fatty emulsion which may ave been formed, butalso to carry with it the free or liberated fat. The slow rotaryagitation about a vertical axis, augments and coacts with thecarbondioxide gas, to raise to the surface the free fat.

The free fat thus separated on the upper surface of the mass, may. thenbe drawn off by suitable means. The residue may be transferred into acentrifugal separator for the purpose of removing the slight amount offat remaining therein, or for the purpose of separating the liquid andsolid constituents of the residue to wit, producing a dry, fat freecocoa and an'aqueous fat free cocoa extract respectively.

If desired, moreover, a further slight amount of fat may be obtainedfrom the residue by chillin the same in a quiescent condition for asufbcient length of time.

I claim:

1. The herein described method of extracting fat from cacao beans, whichconsists in heating an aqueous mixture of a cacao bean product for asufficient length of time for the starchy constituents thereof togelatinize, agitating said mixture by a slow rotary motion about ahorizontal axis, adding a suitable amount of diastatic material andagitating the mass by a slow rotary motion about a substantiallyvertical axis until the gelatinized starchy constituents thereof aresaccharified, adding a suitable amount of a carbonate to the mixture,further agitatin the same by a slow rotary motion about a su stantiallyvertical axis until the fatty constituents are brought to the surf-aceof the mass and lastly withdrawing said fatty constituents.

2. The herein described method of extracting fat from cacao bean orproduct thereof which consists in heating an aqueous mixture of finelydivided cacao bean product and agitating such mixture by a rotary motionabout a horizontal axis, until the starchy constituents of such mixtureare gelatinized, diluting and cooling the mixture, adding a suitableamount of saccharifying reagent, slowl agitating the mixture by a rotarymotion a out a substantially vertical axis, until the elatinized starchconstituents are thorough y saccharified, a ding to the mixture asultable amount of carbonate, heating the mixture and further agitatingthe same until the fatty constituents are agglomerated and raised to theupper surface of the mass and lastly withdrawing said fattyconstituents.

3. The herein described method of extracting fat from cacao beans whichconsists in heating and agitating an aqueous mixture of a cacao beanproduct by a rotary motion about a horizontal axis thereby thoroughly towet the solid non-fatty constituents thereof so as to break down theintimate union between the same and the fatty constituents and so asalso to gelatinize the starchy constituents, adding a suitable amount ofdiastatic material slowly agitating the mass until the gelatinizedstarchy constituents are saccharified adding a suitable amount ofcarbonate to the mixture and further agitating the same by a rotarymotion about a vertical axis to raise the liberated fatty constituentsto the surface, and lastly withdrawing said fatty constituents.

4;. The hereindescribed method of extract ing fat from cacao beans,which consists in heating an aqueous mixture of a cacao bean product fora sufiicient len h of: time for the 5 starchy constituents thereo togelatinize, agitating said mixture by a slow rotary motion about asubstantially horizontal axis, diluting said elatinized mixture withWater, adding a suita 1e amount of diastatic material and agim tatingthe mass by a slow rotary motion upon a substantially vertical axisuntil the gelatinized starchy constituents thereof aresaccharified,'adding a suitable amount of carbonate to the mixture,heating the mixture after the addition of said carbonate, furtheragitating the mixture by a slow rotary motion about a substantiallyverticalaxis, until the liberated fatty constituents are brought to thesurface of the mass and lastly Withdrawing said fatty constituents.

IVAN S. HOOKER.

